This invention relates generally to heat exchangers and more particularly to a multi-unit sample cooler for on-stream cooling of liquids or vapor samples in boiler feed water systems or other systems where continuous in-line monitoring or process variables is advantageous. For example, a multi-unit sample cooler is suited for a system or process where control over factors such as oxygen content, suspended solids, pH, dissolved carbonate and sulphate salts, in the control water is required; where the water must be tested periodically or continuously without system shut down or intrusion into process lines, and where cooling of the sample to a nominal value or to a value determined by the testing equipment must be achieved.
Multi-unit sample coolers for this type of testing are known as is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 2,954,965. Such units expedite sample taking or monitoring by bringing a plurality of sample lines to a single location. In this type of testing apparatus the samples passing through the multi-unit sample cooler are subjected to a continous flow of cooling fluid so that all water samples are cooled at a uniform rate to a uniform testing temperature.
The fabrication of prior art multi-unit sample coolers has required extensive shop work in order to properly shape the metal parts, to weld the internal partitions so as to create the internal flow chambers, and to weld baffles to direct the flow of cooling fluids through these flow chambers. Additionally extensive machine work has been required in these prior art devices to properly fit the plurality of heads of the respective cooling assemblies which support the coils for cooling the samples, and to provide a fluid tight seal against leakage of the cooling fluid operatively associated with the cooling assemblies for cooling the samples. Additionally, a plurality of fluid tight fittings are also required to seal the entrance and exit lines to the cooling assemblies in the prior art multi-unit sample coolers.
An important aspect of the prior art multi-unit sample coolers was the fact that the cooling water inlet and cooling water outlet were not in alignment, thus making attachment of the unit to the external cooling water source more complicated.
The present invention overcomes these problems by providing a multi-unit sample cooler whose cooling water inlet and cooling water outlet are in alignment with the longitudinal axis of the multi-unit sample cooler, and the plurality of water sample cooling assemblies consist generally of, a simple unitary fitting for direct attachment to the multi-unit sample cooler support housing, and conventional aligned fillings for each of the exist lines for the coils in the water sample cooling assemblies.
More importantly the improved multi-unit sample cooler in accordance with the present invention simplifies and reduces the manufacturing process for the fabrication thereof by establishing a basic unit consisting of an elongated shell or casing which defines the cooling water inlet chamber, a modular support housing fixedly connected to the exterior face of the elongated shell or casing defines the cooling water outlet chamber, a plurality of spaced serially disposed transverse cylindrical partitions fixedly connecting in the elongated shell or casing are sized so that they respectively extend into the cooling water outlet chamber, and a plurality of sample cooler assemblies fixedly connected to the modular support housing coact with the cylindrical partitions to form a corresponding plurality of cooling water flow passages therewith from the cooling water inlet chamber to the cooling water outlet chamber, and this construction permits the cooling water inlet and cooling water outlet to be disposed in alignment with each other so that the multi-unit sample cooler can be easily mounted and connected into the associated system for delivering and removing the cooling water required for operation of the sample cooler unit.